Shine
Chapter 28
Day Four
Warning: This chapter contains descriptions of violence and death. I do not own the Hunger Games, the idea of brutally slaughtering children as punishment for long-ago crimes is all Suzanne Collins.
A/N: Today three more Tributes will die. The Games were blissfully peaceful for a long time. That all changes the fewer Tributes you have…
Peter Mallard –36- -Capitol Resident- -Head Gamemaker- POV
"We're ready to launch the attack, Sir. We have several cameras focused on them, people are watching them eat breakfast."
I pause for a second. I feel bad for this girl, and for the two with her. They didn- no. They are scum. Inferior. I may be getting weak, and I can't allow that. She does deserve this. "Go. Kill them."
"Yes, Sir."
Rhylee Kaski POV
I had just awoken Thia and Harper for breakfast when we heard the growls.
"Crap. I guess the Capitol can't leave us alone forever," I say. "Thia, grab your bow. Harper, grab your knives. Stand back to back."
"What?" Thia asks while grabbing her bow and doing as I say.
"Wolves," I say. "Mutts, most likely. I hear growling."
"I didn't hear-" Thia is cut off by a much louder growl. "Oh," she says.
"They'll attack any second," I say, "so when you see one, shoot it."
"Roger that," she says. The wolves advance on us. There are five of them. Two are clearly targeting me, another two are targeting Thia, and one is targeting Harper.
"Nice and easy," I say. "Don't shoot until you see them tense to jump, then-"
Harper Satin POV
I threw my knife before I registered that Rhylee said don't before shoot. All's well that ends well, right? My wolf, having taken a knife to the head, whimpered and died. Then I heard a roar and felt intense heat. I turned to look back at Rhylee and Thia.
Thia Zollis POV
The two wolves that were fixating on me suddenly change targets and all four remaining wolves blow fire at Rhylee before leaping forward. I take a few quick steps backward. Not out of fear, rather to get within effective range of my bow. Unfortunately, I think it's already too late for Rhylee.
Rhylee Kaski POV
I'm blinded by fire suddenly. I know that these weird, fire-breathing wolves are going to attack soon, and I raise my sword to defend myself. But I know it's useless as soon as the first one lands on me. I feel other paws rip and teeth tear.
Thia Zollis POV
I can't even see Rhylee under the mass of fur. I hear tearing and screaming, but I restrain my urge to vomit and shoot one of the wolves in the neck. It dies, flopping onto one of its companions. Clearly these things are meant to surprise you, and they can't take much of a punch. I grab another arrow quicker than I ever have and nock it in my bow. Harper throws a knife at one, but it lands in the creature's shoulder, seemingly without effect. I shoot a second one and it to dies. Then the two remaining wolves must decide that Rhylee is thoroughly dead – yes, the cannon fires – because they turn to lock their blue eyes on me. I reach for another arrow, but I'm not quick enough as the wolves jump towards me. I fall under their weight and scream as I feel teeth on my throat.
Harper Satin POV
The wolves jump Thia. This fight is not going our way. I throw another knife at the one that I had hit in the shoulder, going for the neck like Thia did. This time, the wolf dies. I hear another cannon shot. It must be Thia's. The other wolf starts to turn towards me, but I grab another knife and whip it between the creature's eyes. It falls dead with a whimper. I look at Rhylee's body and vomit almost immediately. The hovercraft comes to pick them up, but it first has to clear the wolves away from Thia's corpse. Seeing her, although she's not as badly mutilated as Rhylee, seeing her throat torn out and her dead eyes looking at me causes me to vomit again. Once I'm done, I try to decide what to do next. Clearly the Gamemakers thought that we weren't that exciting, so I guess I'll have to change that. I pack up a good amount of food and some water, along with my knives, and leave the camp, heading in a random direction.
Peter Mallard –36- -Capitol Resident- -Head Gamemaker- POV
"The target is eliminated, as you saw, Sir. Thank you, Sir. Yes, Sir. I will pass on my congratulations to the team, Sir. Goodbye, Sir," I say as I finish my phone conversation with President Snow.
"The President would like to congratulate you all on a job well done," I address the room full of Gamemakers, techs, and assistants. "And so would I. The traitor is dead and the footage of her death will prove a crucial reminder to the Districts of the folly of their rebellion. I would offer a toast, but it is still early, and we have more work to do." A small cheer goes around the room, and I do not curtail the celebration. They have earned it.
Silk Daisly POV
This morning, I woke up to the sound of two cannon shots. I guess that I've made it to the top eleven. Still further to go. I decide, after breakfast, to walk up a nearby hill and see what I can see. I would have never guessed what would be at the top.
I arrive at the top of the hill and there's – a cabin? Yup, a cabin, with a fireplace outside. I debate whether to head inside or not. After all, it's probably a trap. Then again, if it's a Gamemaker trap and I don't go in, they might just kill me. So I walk towards the front door when suddenly, it opens. A dark-skinned girl with muscular arms and dark hair steps out of the door, holding hands with an Asian boy with dark brown hair. The boy from four and the girl from seven. The boy sees me and points. I throw the knife that I always keep on the ready at him. He ducks and the girl shouts.
"Serena, Andrew!"
Val Stensland POV
"Serena, Andrew!" I shout, raising my ax. I always keep my weapon with me. Falcon raises his sword. The other boy scrambles for another knife. I motion to Falcon, and he nods. We split up, taking different sides of the boy. Serena pokes her head out the door and sees what's going on. She tries to slip out unnoticed as the boy pays more attention to me. He looks a little scared, which I guess is understandable. He throws another knife, this time at me, but his aim is horrible, and it misses.
Falcon Lockdust POV
The boy's focus is on Vallory, so I'm sneaking up behind him. I've almost reached him when I step on a twig and it breaks with a loud 'crack'. The boy whips around. I raise my sword, but his knife cuts a gash across my stomach. I stumble back, surprised. I should have work Andrew's armor, but I was planning to put it on when I went outside. It's hard to enjoy sleeping with someone wearing a big armor plate, you know. Serena is evidently sneakier than I was, as her sword impales the boy's side at the same time Val's ax comes through his neck. Oof. Serena has to duck to avoid the ax blade, but luckily she does, and the boy's body falls to the ground. His head falls on Serena, who pushes it off disgustedly. I fall back onto the ground. Val looks at me and drops her ax.
Vallory 'Val' Stensland –16- -D7- POV
"Falcon!" I shout as I run over to where Falcon lies, clutching his stomach. "Oh my god! What happened?"
Knife met stomach, he signs.
"Heh, you're right," I say. "But, I mean, are-"
Serena kneels down next to me. "Move your hands," she tells me. Instinctively, I've put my hands over Falcon's wound. "Hmm. It's a big wound, but we should have enough material to get it covered up, you might have to apply pressure for a while. It's not deep, so that's good. The trouble is if it gets infected. We don't have any antibiotics here or anything to sterilize it with… technically that's not true, but I don't think boiling water would do much good. Andrew, dear. Cut off some fabric from your shirt or something to use as a bandage for Falcon here. An arm or something, nothing that comes in too close contact with you, and no underarms please."
"Okay, Serena," Andrew says, and I hear the sounds of ripping fabric.
"How do you know all this?" I ask.
"I picked up a bit of medicine back home," she says. Andrew walks over with some fabric. "Outstanding, thank you," she kisses him quickly as he bends down to hand her the fabric. She takes the fabric and puts it on Falcon's wound. "It would be better if we had an adhesive, but we'll make do with what we can. Val, I'm going to want you to apply some gentle pressure to this, okay? It needs to stay in close contact with the skin so that it can stop, not just absorb the bleeding. Something about the blood clotting. After about fifteen minutes, we'll check if the bleeding's stopped. Okay?"
"Okay," I say, doing as she says. "What happens if he gets an infection?"
"Let's hope he doesn't," she says. "He may fight it off naturally, but he might not. Either way, he'd be laid low for several days."
"Let's hope he doesn't, then," I say.
I'm right here, Falcon signs.
"And don't do that. Use as little energy as possible, move as little as possible," Serena says. "It'll help your body heal."
Andrew Spayler –16- -D6- POV
I had seen the whole fight but really been able to contribute. I was still far behind Serena by the time the boy's head had hit the ground. After getting Falcon bandaged up, I and Serena made some breakfast for everyone while Val applied pressure for Falcon. We decided to stay at the base for the rest of the day. Apparently Falcon's wound wasn't doing so well.
Emery Colt –17- -D5- POV
We were awoken by two cannon shots but decided that that was as good a time for breakfast as any. A few hours later, another cannon shot.
"Three today," I comment idly.
"We're down to what, ten now?" Kayne asks.
"Yeah, I guess so," I say.
"My favorite number," Kayne says.
"Hah. Double mine," I say.
It was eleven a minute ago, Tontu writes.
"Yes," Kayne says, "but I thought of the joke."
Tontu simply shakes his head. We hear footsteps from the forest around us.
"Grab your weapons," I say. Kayne grabs his bow, Tontu his spear, and I my sword, and we get into a defensive huddle. The footsteps come closer and closer. Then, a figure emerges from the shadows.
Clear Palatino POV
After I woke up today, I decided to keep moving, just as the note said. Finishing the ration bar and drinking more water, I decided to follow the river. I know that I need to make the most of my brother's sacrifice. I'm walking when I hear voices. I can't decide who they are, but all the careers are dead, and they don't sound like they're starving. I probably need allies. Also, if I ask, they might kill me. If I don't, someone will almost definitely kill me. I put my dagger in the bag and hold my hands up as I walk closer to them.
I emerge from the forest into a small camp. The three boys are in a defensive formation facing me. I see two of them have ranged weapons.
"Don't shoot!" I shout.
"Okay," the one in the front, holding a sword, says. "Who are you?"
"Clear Palatino," I say. "Twelve, from Three."
"What do you have in that bag, Clear?" The boy with the bow asks.
"Water, my dagger," I say.
"What happened to your brother?" He- I remember his name now, Kayne Tontu, from Ten, asks.
"He gave up his Shine moment to save me," I say.
"Oh, right," he says. "Toss the bag over, Clear."
"Okay," I say, grabbing the bag and tossing it towards them. It can't hurt me. If they wanted, they could kill me from where they stand and I wouldn't be able to do anything about it, with or without the bag. The boy with the spear picks up the bag, putting his spear down, and rifles through it. He gives a thumbs up to the other two.
"Are you going to try to kill us, Clear?" Kayne asks.
"Not right now," I say.
"Okay," Kayne says, putting his bow down. "Truce?"
"Truce," I say, putting my hands down. My shoulders were getting tired.
"When's the last time you ate, Clear?" Sword-boy asks. "I'm Emery, by the way, and this is Tontu." Tontu waves and smiles.
"This morning," I say.
"We were just thinking of lunch," he says. "Why don't you come on in and have some food. We've got quality venison."
Kayne Lytch –13- -D10- POV
"And while you do that, me, Emery, and Tontu will talk over here," I say.
"Okay," Clear says. She's so young. Just a year younger than me, I remind myself. And don't be fooled. She could be deadly. Just because she looks and acts young doesn't mean she's not a cold-hearted killer.
"What are we going to do?" I ask the other two once we're safely out of earshot, watching Clear munch on some deer. "We can't just let her live. Not if we want to win. But… I couldn't kill her."
"I couldn't either, Kayne," Emery says, "but as you said, if we don't, then we also don't win."
"Unless someone else kills her," I say.
"Fair point," Emery says, "but we're supposed to be protecting her."
"Ugh, you're right. Why is caring so painful?" I ask.
"Because being a good person is hard, Kayne," Emery says. "It's why so many people aren't."
How about, Tontu writes, We just wait and see?
"Sounds like a good idea," I say.
"Sounds good," Emery says.
Tontu Heinburg –18- -D11- POV
I understand that just waiting is sort of a cop-out, but just like the others, I can't stand the thought of killing this little girl or standing by as she dies. But, just like the others, I have someone I want to see again. The question is if she would still love me if I killed a little girl. And I don't think she would. So we wait. The rest of the day passes uneventfully, and eventually, we see the faces up in the sky. The girls from Four and Eight, and the boy from Eight too. In one day, Eight's out of the running too. I take first watch again, as Clear, Kayne, and Emery sleep. Clear isn't on watch, one of us always is. She says she doesn't mind getting a good night's sleep in a sleeping bag on a full stomach. I think about Noami before it's time for Kayne to take watch and for me to get some sleep.
Giselle Serpentine –16- -D2- POV
In the morning, I wake up sweating. I try to shake off my nightmares, but I can't. The faces of the people I've killed blend together as I walk through the forest. I realize at some point that I've forgotten to eat and grab some rations from my backpack. The food reinvigorates me, and the ghostly faces disappear from my vision until the nighttime when I make myself another fire and eat more before drifting off to another night of restless, nightmare filled sleep. The day and night blend into one, except that there are more screams in the night. Maybe one of them is mine.
Harper Satin –16- -D6- POV
I set up camp when darkness falls and start a fire. I can't believe that Thia and Rhylee are dead, just like that. After I eat dinner, for the first time that day, I cry. Then the Anthem plays. Thia, then Rhylee, then the boy from Eight. I cry a little bit more, but then I feel better. After all, if I was still alive, at some point they couldn't be. And only one of them could ever live. But now I have to win more than ever. For them. Tomorrow I think I'll go to the nearby hill. I drift off to fairly restful sleep. Only one nightmare about blue-eyed wolves.
Serena Holden –16- -D5- POV
After lunch, Val tells me that Falcon felt hot to her, and he isn't awake anymore. He has a fever.
"I think he's got an infection, Val," I tell her, away from the sleeping Falcon. Luckily he's stopped bleeding, but I doubt he's going to make it. "It's not surprising. Nothing is sterile here. And..." I trail off. I'm trying to imply that he may have been artificially infected by the Gamemakers. Val nods.
"I understand," she says in a hollow voice. "What do you think are his odds?"
"Here?" I say. "Not well. If we had medical care… maybe. But he probably won't make it through the night."
"There's nothing we can do?" Vallory asks.
"Just comfort him," I say. "That's it. I'm sorry." Vallory wipes angry tears away from her face.
"It's not your fault," she says. "I guess I'll comfort him then."
"Val, I really am sorry," I say. I reach forward and catch her shoulder as she walks away. I pull her close and hug her. "I'm sorry. I can't imagine how bad it hurts," I whisper.
"But you lost your brother," she says.
"I did, but..." I push her out to shoulder length, "it's not the same. He was a horrible person, and I had already lost him, I just didn't know it. And a brother is different than a lover. You… Falcon is a good person, and you still love him."
"I guess you're right," Val says. "I'm going to spend the rest of the day with him if that's alright."
"Sure," I say.
Andrew and I don't do much the whole day. Andrew isn't very talkative, and with a dying person on the side, it's hard to casually chat. Eventually, we eat dinner, bringing food over to Val. Then the Anthem comes up. We watch the faces. Two girls and the boy we killed. Once again, I sort of feel bad for them, but… they're not me or Andrew or even Val or Falcon. Although I imagine that Falcon's face will be there tomorrow, and I am sad. As far as I am aware, the girls had another ally. She must have been the one to kill them. Andrew and I curl up to sleep in our bedroom again. Val stays outside with Falcon.
Vallory 'Val' Stensland –16- -D7- POV
Serena asks if I want her to stay with me. I tell her no, she should get some sleep, Andrew, too. She doesn't fight it, and soon I'm alone with Falcon. Around an hour later, Falcon stirs. He raises his hands, clearly a struggle.
Vallory… I'm going to- he coughs, racking his body – die, aren't I?
"I think so," I say. "I'm so sorry, Falcon."
It's… not your fault, Val, he signs.
"Rest, Falcon," I say, "rest."
I'll, another cough, sleep when I'm dead. I just need to say… I love you, Val. He spells it out, not using the shorthand.
I love you too, Falcon, I sign. I don't know if it's true or not. But I certainly do like him. And I'm certainly sad that he's dead. And it will comfort him to think that I love him. I kiss him again. He smiles at me, and he doesn't need his hands to tell me what he's thinking. Then he closes his eyes and falls asleep again. I hold his hand until, a few hours later, a cannon shot wakes me out of my sleep-like reverie. Falcon's hand now feels cold in mine. I hear a hovercraft coming. I close his eyes and kiss his forehead. Then I give his hand one more squeeze before I let it go, and he is scooped up by the hovercraft. I wipe tears away from my eyes. Then I let myself cry. I didn't have time to know how I felt about him, and that's the saddest part. But he said that he would sacrifice himself for me. So I guess now I have even more reason to win and one less possible obstacle. I head into the cabin and curl up alone on the floor of our bedroom.
Rhylee: I feel bad for her. She was a really fun character. It's funny, originally I thought she would be boring, but she became a really fun and interesting character, especially with the rebellion she started. But with being targeted by the Capitol, she never stood a chance. I feel bad for her like I said, I really liked her character, she was fun to write. At least now she gets to join Lake (who she never knew died). RIP Rhylee.
Thia: When I received Thia's form, I actually had to work on distancing myself from her. Her description reads that her appearance is dirty-blond hair and grey-blue eyes. She also wears glasses. If you read the description of someone special (Katelynn) a few chapters back, you'll see that she also has blonde hair streaked with brown (not dirty though) and beautiful blue-gray eyes. I don't think I've mentioned it, but also wears glasses. Anyway, you can see how this might be an issue for me. :) I did eventually distance myself, but I still really liked Thia's character and I felt bad for when she had to die. She deserved better, but everyone in the Games does. RIP Thia.
Silk: Silk was a very normal kid from District Eight. He didn't have a lot of backstory, but he was a fun character with his distrust of people. He's also asexual and very introverted. He was an interesting character, but the Odds were not in his favor. RIP Silk.
Falcon: Falcon was fun, much more so after he fell in love with Vallory. He was a mute career who never intended to fall in love, knew his family would be outraged at him for giving his life to save the one he loved, and still went with it. You can't help who you fall in love with, but you can help what you do about it. In the end, Falcon was a good guy who had a strong emotional connection with Val. RIP Falcon.
24th: Kayra Dawnbreeze, 13F, D10. Killed by a sword through the side from Ares Moretti.
23rd: Camelia Lloha, 12F, D12. Killed by a sword through the heart from Giselle Serpentine.
22nd: Char Alfand, 14M, D12. Killed by a knife through the heart thrown by Silk Daisly.
21st: Isaiah Lemont, 15M, D9. Sacrifice. Killed by a spear through the heart thrown by Tontu Heinburg.
20th: Brianna 'Bri' Tribiani, 16F, D11. Killed by knives through her heart and stomach thrown by Diamond Knowles.
19th: Diamond Knowles, 18F, D1. Mercy Kill. Killed by having her throat slit by Aster Ochs.
18th: Aster Ochs, 16M, D7. Killed by a partial beheading by Giselle Serpentine.
17th: Lustero Aldor, 17M, D1. Killed by swords through the side and heart by Giselle Serpentine and Ares Moretti.
16th: Ares Moretti, 18M, D2. Killed by choking by Giselle Serpentine.
15th: Becquerel 'Bec' Grey, 15M, D3. Sacrifice. Killed by tracker after transferring his Shine moment to his step-sister, Clear Palatino. Killed by the Capitol.
14th: Athena Rye, 14F, D9. Killed by being ripped apart by a Capitol mutt. Killed by the Capitol.
13th: Rhylee Kaski, 16F, D8. Killed by being ripped apart by a Capitol mutt. Target and killed by the Capitol for inciting a rebellion.
12th: Thia Zollis, 16F, D4. Killed by being ripped apart by a Capitol mutt. Killed by the Capitol.
11th: Silk Daisly, 16M, D8. Killed by a sword the chest and being beheaded by Serena Holden and Vallory Stensland respectively.
10th: Falcon Lockdust, 17M, D4. Killed by an infection resulting from a wound incurred in a fight with Silk Daisly.
A/N: This day was short, but the Tribute's numbers are running low. Only nine remain. More will die tomorrow. Now Districts, 12, 1, 9, 8, and 4 are out of the running. Who do you think will win? Will it be an alliance or a single Tribute? Place your bets, for the finale, is nearing. See you all on Games day 5. Also, just a friendly reminder to stay safe and read Shine instead of trying to buy all the toilet paper during all this craziness. Until next time. – JStar14H
